Author Topic: Offical MLB Thread! (Read 340159 times)

JFC · « **Reply #1960 on:** December 28, 2013, 12:52:13 AM »

Woo! Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee's baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

Quote

Kawasaki re-signs with Toronto on Minors contract
Infielder, likely to start year in Triple-A, will attend big league camp with Blue Jays
By Gregor Chisholm / MLB.com | 12/24/2013 1:03 P.M. ET

TORONTO -- The Blue Jays gave their fanbase an early holiday present on Tuesday morning with the announcement that infielder Munenori Kawasaki has re-signed with the club on a Minor League contract.

Kawasaki reportedly had been weighing at least one offer to play in Japan, but will instead take his chances in camp with the Blue Jays. As part of the deal, Kawasaki received an invitation to Spring Training and will have a chance to compete for a job off the bench.

The 32-year-old middle infielder became somewhat of a cult sensation in Toronto this past year. He had the unenviable task of filling in for the injured Jose Reyes, but he immediately won over most of the fans with his antics both on and off the field.

Kawasaki will likely begin the year at Triple-A Buffalo, but he could also compete with Ryan Goins and Maicer Izturis for the starting job at second base. It seems doubtful that Kawasaki will pass either of those players on the depth chart, but he once again should provide some much-needed depth in the Minor League system.

The native of Japan hit just .229 with one homer and 24 RBIs in 96 games for the Blue Jays in 2013. He is a relatively steady defender but has limited range, and his throwing arm is more suited to play second base than shortstop. The biggest positive of Kawasaki's game is his ability to work deep into counts and draw walks, as evidenced by his .326 on-base percentage last season.

Toronto could have guaranteed Kawasaki's return earlier this offseason, but the club declined to exercise its $1-million option on his contract. Terms of the new deal were not disclosed.

FULL ARTICLE LINK - http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/news/article/tor/munenori-kawasaki-re-signs-with-toronto-blue-jays-on-minor-league-deal?ymd=20131224&content_id=66188960&vkey=news_tor

Saburo · « **Reply #1961 on:** January 02, 2014, 10:17:43 PM »

Rika bless Craig Calcaterra: the HIGHEST praise! http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/01/02/is-football-dying/

Saburo · « **Reply #1962 on:** January 08, 2014, 12:01:16 AM »

I still suspect fans of other sports just LAAAUUUGGGHHH their asses off when they see the follies of baseball hall-of-fame voting.

http://www.baseballnation.com/2014/1/7/5284256/hall-fame-ballot-ken-gurnick-worst-ever-voting

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/01/07/ken-gurnicks-hall-of-fame-ballot-is-perhaps-the-laziest-and-most-willfully-ignorant-ever/

Saburo · « **Reply #1963 on:** January 08, 2014, 03:35:10 AM »

A Phillies blog post on the HOF and the recent dunderheadness of some BBWAA dudes. http://crashburnalley.com/2014/01/07/why-i-still-care-about-the-hall-of-fame/

Saburo · « **Reply #1964 on:** January 09, 2014, 12:04:35 AM »

Steven Goldman is a smart cookie: http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2014/1/8/5289270/hall-of-fame-14-voting-results-mike-mussina-jack-morris-craig-biggio

Saburo · « **Reply #1965 on:** January 09, 2014, 12:05:29 AM »

Oh yeah, and it tickles me to no end that it was Dan Le Batard, one of my very favorite voices at the WWL, was the guy who let Deadspin fill out his HOF ballot: http://www.baseballnation.com/2014/1/8/5288908/hall-fame-ballot-voting-sold-dan-lebatard-baseball

BAM!

stax · « **Reply #1966 on:** January 09, 2014, 05:06:53 AM »

Quote from: Saburo on January 08, 2014, 12:01:16 AM

I still suspect fans of other sports just LAAAUUUGGGHHH their asses off when they see the follies of baseball hall-of-fame voting.

http://www.baseballnation.com/2014/1/7/5284256/hall-fame-ballot-ken-gurnick-worst-ever-voting

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/01/07/ken-gurnicks-hall-of-fame-ballot-is-perhaps-the-laziest-and-most-willfully-ignorant-ever/

The baseball HoF is nothing compared to the idiocy of every other league's. But we're rapidly approaching them.

Saburo · « **Reply #1967 on:** January 09, 2014, 09:51:40 PM »

Viva Dan: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/01/09/the-vilification-of-dan-lebetard-is-well-underway/

kuro808 · « **Reply #1968 on:** January 09, 2014, 11:38:17 PM »

The best suggestion I find is to let the readers and lovers of baseball to determine it for him. I feel betrayed for what he did and if he made this as a joke, you know it was in bad taste. The process is ludicrous. I feel that if you can make it a way where at least a group of people make it (some should be excluded) and not no one has made it. I know to be different but seriously it be great to have a handful everytime than just a few or none.

I like baseball but there are too many things that needs to be fixed like any sport but in all honesty, he should have trashed it instead of giving it to a site like deadspin.

ESPN has its hands full with the football mess of the BCS, this can pass

Saburo · « **Reply #1969 on:** January 10, 2014, 12:10:03 AM »

I'm with Le Batard: the HOF and BBWAA are a collective farce. Blow it all up... Except I'm of a generation where the institution still matters a skosh.

So just knock down some walls, hurt some feelings. Promoting good shit. It's only baseball.

Saburo · « **Reply #1970 on:** January 10, 2014, 12:11:46 AM »

Also this: https://twitter.com/jazayerli/status/421418611907895296

Yes, go Google Conlin's story. Whole lotta yuck. He didn't get burned at the stake; Le Batard (whose submitted ballot was wholly legit), OTOH...

p.s. I wasn't aware of Conlin's passing today...

p.p.s. Although boy, you remember lines like this and wonder whether or not the sympathy was warranted: https://twitter.com/KevinKaduk/status/421426429704695808

Saburo · « **Reply #1971 on:** January 10, 2014, 01:48:20 AM »

Deadspin's response: http://deadspin.com/baseball-writers-to-baseball-fans-fuck-you-1498157564

Again: NFL and NBA fans must be laaaauuuuggghhing their asses off right now.

JFC · « **Reply #1972 on:** January 12, 2014, 08:30:17 PM »

Arbitrator Hits Alex Rodriguez With Full-Season Ban For Alleged Performance-Enhancing Drug Use

Saburo · « **Reply #1973 on:** January 13, 2014, 09:01:05 PM »

Remarkable: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/01/13/source-a-rod-blew-his-chance-to-take-a-deal-for-a-50-game-suspension/

Bad, bad advice from counsel...

Saburo · « **Reply #1974 on:** January 16, 2014, 03:32:40 AM »

Dodger fans: It is done. http://www.baseballnation.com/2014/1/15/5310576/clayton-kershaw-new-contract-300-million-record

Yeah, he's pretty much worth it.

JFC · « **Reply #1975 on:** January 22, 2014, 07:50:35 PM »

^
So I guess that means they (the Dodgers) gave up on their chances of getting Tanaka (that, or signing Kershaw just made it impossible in terms of budget, to get him).

Quote

Masahiro Tanaka, Yankees strike 7-year, $155M US deal: report
Updated: January 22, 2014 10:25 AM | By CBC Sports, cbc.ca

New York Yankees, according to multiple reports, have outbid the field for Japanese free-agent pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, agreeing to a seven-year, $155 million US deal with the starter.

Masahiro Tanaka’s baseball journey is taking him from Japan to New York.

According to several reports, the Yankees have agreed to a seven-year deal with the Japanese starting pitcher worth $155 million US. The deal is also believed to include an opt-out clause after the fourth season.

Major league teams had until 5 p.m. ET on Friday to sign the star 25-year-old.

The two Chicago teams, Cubs and White Sox, along with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks were known to have made bids for Tanaka, who sported a 24-0 record and 1.27 earned-run average last season for the Japan Series champion Rakuten Golden Eagles.

The Yankees, Dodgers and Cubs were said to be finalists for the right-hander, with New York bumping offer from six years to seven to secure a deal.

Tanaka's contract is the fifth-largest ever, behind Clayton Kershaw (seven years, $210M with Dodgers), Verlander (seven years, $180M with Detroit) , Felix Hernandez (seven years, $175M with Seattle) & CC Sabathia's original deal (eight years, $160M with Yankees).

In addition to his contract, New York is required to pay Rakuten a posting fee, now capped at $20 million US under a deal reached earlier this off-season between Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball.

Under the old, no-limit system, the Texas Rangers paid over $50 million for the right to negotiate with Yu Darvish before the 2012 season.

During the previous agreement, Boston obtained Daisake Matsuzaka from the Seibu Lions before the 2007 season for $51,111,111.11 and agreed to a $52 million, six-year contract. Texas got Darvish from the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters before the 2012 season for $51,703,411 and gave him a $56 million, six-year deal.

Darvish finished second in 2013 Cy Young Award voting as the top pitcher in the American League.

FULL ARTICLE LINK - http://sports.ca.msn.com/top-stories/masahiro-tanaka-yankees-strike-7-year-dollar155m-us-deal-report

Saburo · « **Reply #1976 on:** January 22, 2014, 08:09:45 PM »

I read that even the CUBS outbid LA. Also, the reports of Satoda Mai preferring the West Coast were quite exaggerated, to say the least.

Good luck to Ma-kun. Hope he doesn't become another Matsuzaka...

I kinda feel sorry for my LA Dodger friends who were expecting his signing as a mere formality. Of COURSE the Dodgers will sign him; they said they WOULD NOT BE OUTBID! Oops!

Now the Hot Stove will resolve itself in a few weeks before Spring Training.

Saburo · « **Reply #1977 on:** February 01, 2014, 03:55:05 AM »

Michael Young: Forever Classy. http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/michael-young-says-rangers-were-flat-better-team-023640041--mlb.html

Saburo · « **Reply #1978 on:** February 12, 2014, 09:59:14 PM »

Michael Young: MUCH classier move: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/02/11/michael-young-shows-class/

Saburo · « **Reply #1979 on:** February 12, 2014, 10:02:04 PM »

And of course, Captain Dreamboat with the day's big announcement: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/02/12/derek-jeter-says-2014-is-his-last-season/

Best of luck to an injury-free season since he refuses to budge from SS! But seriously, all-time great. He doesn't need Ozzie Smith fielding stats to be a hall of famer.